World Cup: Australia captain Michael Clarke will sit out opening match with England
Thursday 12 February 2015 09:57, UK
Michael Clarke has been ruled out of Australia's Cricket World Cup opener against England on Saturday.
The Australia captain scored 64 in a warm-up win over UAE on Wednesday in his first international innings in almost two months following a hamstring injury.
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However, Clarke will sit out the match with England at the Melbourne Cricket Ground as planned and is expected to return for Australia’s second game, against Bangladesh in Brisbane on February 21.
Australia’s medical team have long targeted the Brisbane match for Clarke's return, but speculation had been intensifying that the Australian captain would be ready in time for the tournament opener.
"He's pulled up really well... we're really happy with his progress," said coach Darren Lehmann. "We're going to stick with the plan and he's going to play against Bangladesh."
"We had a chat, we're making sure he's 100 percent ready to go. We're really comfortable with the decision."
Clarke, 33, had surgery on his right hamstring after being forced out of the India test series following the first match. He has had back and hamstring issues for much of the past year.
Watch each and every game of the ICC Cricket World Cup on our dedicated channel, Sky Sports World Cup, starting with New Zealand against Sri Lanka from 10pm on Friday 13 February.
